


Behind the Stick

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2019 [14]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Bartenders, First Meetings, Flirting, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 07:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for AU prompt:Stargate Atlantis, Evan Lorne/Rodney McKay, bartender AUIn which Rodney is a grumpy bartender and Evan is the cute guy at the bar.





	Behind the Stick

“Can I get an Appletini?”

“No,” Rodney said shortly. He finished pouring off the draft beer and slid it across the bar. “Pick something else.”

The girl looked confused. “But…I really want an Appletini.”

“We all want things we can’t have.” Rodney mixed her an Apple Knocker. “Try this instead.”

“But –”

“Take it or leave it.” Rodney moved down the bar, taking more orders, not caring if the girl took the Apple Knocker or not. It was gone when he went back.

Bartending was a pain in the ass. He didn’t mind mixing the drinks, but he hated having to deal with the people. They were so demanding! And some of them mistook ‘bartender’ for ‘therapist’ and he had zero interest in listening to people whine about their lives. He had a hard enough time managing his own life, what with grad school classes and being a TA and having to work nights tending bar to help get by.

“Fuzzy Navel,” a guy with a stupid hat said. Not even asking.

“Not a chance. Why don’t you try a less frou-frou drink?”

Rodney made the guy a Manhattan instead, which he still considered to be a girly cocktail, but much more upscale. There was some grumbling, but it was a good drink and the guy paid for it.

Mr. Rum and Coke at the end of the bar raised his hand to get Rodney’s attention, then held up one finger. Rodney mixed him another drink and refilled his bowl of pretzels while he was at it. The guy was a good tipper.

“You’re not very accommodating for a bartender,” he said.

“Plenty of other bars in town,” Rodney pointed out. He pulled out a rag and wiped down the bar, not that it needed cleaning. He just really wanted an excuse to linger, because Mr. Rum and Coke was drop-dead gorgeous. Dark hair and blue eyes were always a winning combo for Rodney, and this guy could also add dimples to the mix. He was sitting alone, which didn’t necessarily mean he was single. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t, either.

“You don’t make the ones with lemon or orange juice,” the guy said, sipping at his drink. “Are you morally opposed to those cocktails?”

“Some of them,” Rodney admitted. “And I have a deadly allergy to citrus.”

“Kind of risky, working at a bar with that kind of allergy.”

Rodney shrugged. “Hasn’t hurt business any.”

Which was true. They were just as busy as they’d always been, it was just that now they were saving money on orange juice and lemons. At least on the nights Rodney was working. A lot of people seemed to like the alternative cocktails he came up with for them.

“You go to school here?”

“Grad school,” Rodney replied. “Double major in astrophysics and aeronautical engineering.”

“Art major,” the guy offered with a grin. “Minor in geophysics.”

Wow. Smart _and_ bohemian. That was a nice combo. And Rodney was pretty sure he could see part of a tattoo peeking out from the sleeve of the guy’s black t-shirt. He wasn’t big on body adornments for himself, but on the right person…well.

“How often do you work here?” Mr. Rum and Coke asked. He dipped his finger into his drink, then sucked that same finger into his mouth. Rodney was pretty sure his brain short-circuited. That was flirting, right? He wasn’t imagining it?

“Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday,” he said, certain he was going to swallow his own tongue.

“I’ll have to remember that.”

Rodney wanted to talk more to Mr. Rum and Coke – or maybe get a taste of that rummy finger for himself – but he was being hailed from the other end of the bar and had to leave to pull some beer. When he had a free moment again, the guy was gone. Rodney felt a pang of disappointment. At least until he scooped up the way-too-high tip and saw the napkin that had been left behind for him.

_Name’s Evan. Call me if you want to get together for some citrus-free adult beverages some time. 555-5309._

There was a rough sketch of Rodney on the napkin as well, scowl on his face and martini glass in his hand. It was a good likeness. Rodney slipped the napkin into his pocket.

“Bourbon,” said the next customer. 

“Good choice,” Rodney replied.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** If a bartender is ‘behind the stick’ they’re working behind the bar doing actual bartending instead of managerial tasks.
> 
> My first inclination was to make Evan the bartender, since I always write him as the foodie guy. But then I thought it would be funnier to make Rodney the barkeep, especially since he won’t necessarily give you the drink you ask for. ::grins::


End file.
